Testimonials

Thank you for the excellent work you did in successfully negotiating insurance payment for my bone marrow transplant at Duke University Medical Center. In spite of my having been rejected twice, you seemed to know just who should be involved and how to bring these individuals together for a successful resolution.

I truly believe that without your help my transplant would not have been possible. Your knowledge of the industry, persistence in researching the case, and personal involvement all contributed to the favorable outcome. Please feel free to use me as a reference anytime I can be of help.-- Jim W.

We discovered when she spoke at the Wilmington Woman's Club meeting. Pat is a medical insurance assistant who is both familiar with medical plans and very experienced in negotiating with health insurance providers. She knows how to handle difficult situations with insurance companies such as reluctance to pay a fair share of the bill, changing insurance providers, finding the best policy for her client, etc.

We have discussed our medical situation with her several times as our medical options changed. Pat patiently explained the pros and cons of our options. She was thorough, checking with different medical groups, hospitals, and medications to make sure the plan met our needs.

We have recommended her to our friends and highly recommend any group interested in hearing her speak on the topic of medical insurance.--Mary & Pat R.

Please accept my sincerest thanks and appreciation on behalf of my father. Since my mother passed away last July, my father had been extremely upset due to the large medical bills resulting from her illness. In addition, during this time he was diagnosed with cancer. He not only had to worry about mom's bills, but his own.

During this time, your service was suggested to my dad. He needed to concentrate on his health, and not worry about bills. He put his trust in you to help resolve some of the insurance and billing problems that were accumulating. He must have had a guardian angel the day we walked into your office. You put him at ease, and helped him to realize that you could help with all the insurance and medical problems he had been trying to handle.

As of this date, my dad is cancer free. The healing process was helped by your efforts; not having to deal with insurance problems helped reduce the stress of his recovery. You have helped to diminish these bills by more than $52,000. As a senior on social security with a limited income who just lost the love of his life (married for 42 years), this is a great burden lifted from my father. He still has medical bills to pay, but you helped make terms and payment arrangements he never would have been able to do on his own. Repayments are now at a reasonable level.

Again, thank you for your help and the valuable service you provide. After the death of a loved one, most people are so consumed with grief and a sense of loss, that they are unable or unwilling to face the problems associated with medical bills and insurance problems. My sister and I will be forever grateful that our dad put his trust in you to handle these problems.

You have our total support for the services you offer, and we will never hesitate to send friends to you if ever the need arises.--Nancy Lee H.

Words cannot describe the weight you lifted off our shoulders! My father was diagnosed with cancer just days before we were to move my parents from Colorado to North Carolina.

During his struggle, we learned that there was a question as to how long he could stay in the hospital due to his insurance coverage. Dealing with the sickness of a loved one is difficult enough, but having to deal with the financial part of it felt like more than we could take. My father had worked hard all of his life and was retired with insurance, but due to his move to North Carolina, the insurance company told us that nothing was covered. My wife and I had lots of questions and no answers; it felt like we hard nowhere to turn.

While visiting my father at the hospital in North Carolina, my wife talked to other patients and families, asking who they used for medical questions and general help; one lady mentioned Pat Pane. We met with Pat, and after a short conversation, Pat assured us that she would take care of everything. Although this was music to my ears, I was not completely assured since both the insurance company and the hospital told us that we would have to pay everything out of pocket.

But Pat was true to her word: she held the companies liable to pay what they were supposed to pay. I am in awe of her knowledge and professionalism. She is one of the nicest ladies you will ever meet, but to us she is an angel.

After a short and hard battle, my father passed away.Thanks to Pat’s assistance, we have not had any out-of-pocket expenses to pay the insurance company or hospital.I now consider Pat a friend, and I would recommend her to anyone, anywhere.--Britt B., Colorado Springs, Colorado

A few years ago, our 27-year-old son, Richie, was diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He was already in Stage 4 at the time of his diagnosis. Our son and his wife owned a small business and had only catastrophic insurance coverage. As our family dealt with our son’s condition and treatment, we were overwhelmed by the barrage of medical bills and statements that kept rolling in.

Our daughter-in-law became our son’s full-time caregiver, which meant that her small business was also affected. Meanwhile, after exhausting visits to Duke, she would return home to find a stack of thirty or more medical statements waiting for her. Sorting through these statements and understanding them (Explanation of Benefits, This is a Bill, This is Not Bill, etc.) was emotionally taxing and exasperating. We needed a trained professional to help us navigate through this complex maze of paperwork.

Pat Pane of Medical Insurance Assistance was a lifesaver for our daughter-in-law. Several months into Richie’s illness, we were referred to Pat. By that time, we had already accrued hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical fees. As Richie’s illness progressed, he received more advanced medical care which meant more complicated and detailed billing. Pat was able to say: “I can deal with this”. She told our daughter-in-law to stop opening the mail from insurance companies and medical establishments and to forward everything directly to Medical Insurance Assistance. Pat relieved us of our worries over the medical fees so that our family could focus on taking care of Richie.

When Richie passed away, we had accrued over $800,000.00 in medical fees. The diagnostic and clinical codes read like a foreign language; thankfully, we had Pat Pane as our interpreter. Pat held the insurance companies’ feet to the fire, ensuring that they covered what they were obligated to cover to the letter of the law and the letter of their policies. She was able to negotiate with medical establishments on our behalf to reduce or forgive fees for certain treatments; she even contacted the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for assistance with our case. None of this would have been possible without Pat’s expert knowledge of the insurance industry and her familiarity with our legal rights and obligations.

Pat worked tirelessly on our case for nearly 2 ½ years since the bills continued to arrive long after Richie’s death. Words are not enough to fully convey how great we think Pat is as a professional and as a person. In addition to the incredible results she achieved on our case, she proved to be a kind sounding board and a caring individual with a generous spirit. Although it was her job to deal with the financial side of a catastrophic medical illness, she always put our son and our family first. Today, the only bill we cannot repay is our debt of gratitude to Pat Pane and Medical Insurance Assistance.–Dickie and Joyce Spears

After my husband’s near fatal boating accident, I was overwhelmed with all I needed to do to take care of him.I was managing doctors’ appointments, handling medications around the clock, pureeing foods,arranging in-home rehab appointments, and trying to maintain our home and life.

On top of all of those responsibilities, there were insurance claims denials, explanation of benefit forms, mandatory paperwork, and letters that required me to call these companies in orderto understand their “explanations” so I could fight for proper reimbursements.

When I was at wit’s end, two friends told me about Pat Pane and how she could help.I called a third person for a personal reference who assured me that this would be the best money we ever spent.I can now attest that her statement was a fact.

Thanks to Medical Insurance Assistance, I have been able to completely forget about the insurance aspect of my husband’s accident while focusing on his recoveryand even taking some needed time for myself.Not only have Pat and her team assumed all of the paperwork and phone calls, they have also saved us many thousands of dollars by asking the insurance company the right questions, not accepting initial claim denials, and negotiating with medical providers when needed.In addition, Pat always takes the time to meet with us and update us on all accident-related insurance issues.

When I met Pat, I felt that I could trust her, and she has proven me right.Thanks goodness there is someone like her out there to advocate for the insured with the insurance companies.—Hilary Leavitt

After a long illness requiring months of hospitalization, my husband passed away.Along with the emotional devastation of my husband’s long illness and death, I was also left with thousands of dollars in medical bills that my health insurance company would not honor.

During those very dark months, there were few glimmers of hope; however, the one bright light that shone steadfastly was the assurance from Pat Pane that she would do everything she could to help us.She took the burden of medical bills off my shoulders at a time when I just couldn’t bear any more.She made me feel that my concerns and my case were of the utmost importance to her.And, when it came to insurance, she did it all:communicating with our insurance company; talking to my husband’s doctors and other medical providers; carefully scrutinizing each bill to be sure that every charge was reasonable and every code was correct; and, of course, preparing a lengthy appeal with results and reimbursements that went far beyond my expectations.

During our many conversations, Pat also shared her knowledge of government benefits to which my daughters and I may be entitled and she encouraged me to apply for this assistance.I wasn’t even aware that I might be eligible, but I followed her advice and I was indeed approved for Veterans Administration benefits that will carry me through the rest of my life.

Words will never express how my gratitude to Medical Insurance Assistance for helping me through a difficult time with such kindness and compassion.Thank you from the bottom of my heart.-- Laurelie W.

It is with great pleasure that I recommend Pat Pane and Medical Insurance Assistance.Pat has always displayed a high degree of integrity, responsibility, and ambition.She has definitely been a bonus to our company, using her knowledge of the collections and accounts receivable process to provide our organization with helpful feedback and insight as to more efficient methods to pursue our accounts.

She is also a most dependable team player. Her good judgment and mature outlook ensure a logical and practical approach to her endeavors.Pat would be an asset to any organization, and I am happy to give her my wholehearted endorsement.

If you have any further questions, please contact me at 910-642-5832.—Mike F. Synowiec, Administrator, Carolina Urology Clinic, P.A.

Our optometry center was first introduced to Medical Insurance Assistance when we experienced a need for a temporary insurance filing specialist.Company owner Pat Pane promptly sent us a knowledgeable and personable employee from her company who efficiently and effectively assisted our office.

Later, Pat began a more active role of insurance assistance within our practice, helping us to rectify post-op and problem claims.I have worked directly with Pat in this capacity, and I find her to be a highly adaptive, capable, intelligent, and determined individual.She quickly became familiar with our operating software, and she has done an outstanding job.

In addition, Pat is courteous, kind, patient, conscientious, accurate, and well-respected.We have heard many very favorable (unsolicited) comments from both patients and employees in our office.

I highly recommend Pat Pane and Medical Insurance Assistance for any of your insurance or billing needs.If you would like to speak with me regarding Pat’s skills, talents, and work habits, feel free to reach me at 910-791-6086.—Kathleen O’Sullivan, Director of Azalea Eye Center

A few years ago, when I was having trouble with reimbursement, I employed Pat to do some forensic claims work. During that time she proved to be invaluable to me as she helped my practice get back on its feet financially. She also taught me and my staff a tremendous amount about coding and how medical reimbursement works as a whole. Pat proved to be interested both in me as a person as well as the patients that we serve.

Over the years, Pat and I have become friends. It was her goal to “work herself out of her job” in our practice and that goal was accomplished faster than I expected. My office is now able to take care of the financial aspects of practice without any outside assistance. This allows me to concentrate on taking care of patients, which what I am really trained to do.

It is my pleasure to recommend her to you without reservation. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to give me a call. I would be happy to answer them.--Thomas R. Kirby, OD, Coastal Vision Center